When people first began to speculate that Tiger Woods might be a great enough golfer to challenge Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 Major wins, Nicklaus himself was circumspect. Some said he was just jealous but Nicklaus said he was talking from the benefit of experience. He said Woods might encounter all sorts of obstacles.

He mentioned marriage and the fact that having children sometimes changes a man's attitude to dedicating himself to his sport. He said it would be interesting to see how Woods reacted to that if it happened.

Nicklaus did not mention losing a father but as Woods finds himself at the centre of all sorts of speculation this morning, it seems that the death of his dad Earl, in May 2006, left him without a guiding force in his life.

Earl Woods always said he set out to raise a good man not a great golfer and while he was alive his son appeared admirably balanced as well as driven.

Since his death, however, cracks have started to appear in the Woods image and his temper has often veered out of control on the golf course.

He is still the world's No1 by a distance but there have been signs that his grip on his rivals is slipping.

Woods has won four Majors since his father died to take his total to 14 and he has had to fight his way back to fitness after knee surgery.

But suggestions of problems in his personal life have strengthened the impression that he is a man who has lost his way.

A man for whom life was once simple but who now finds it more and more complicated.